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  • Justin Madders – 2020 Comments on Working Conditions for Midwives

    Justin Madders – 2020 Comments on Working Conditions for Midwives

    Comments made by Justin Madders, the Shadow Health Minister, on 20 August 2020.

    [Commenting on the Royal College of Midwives survey that shows midwives are missing meals and toilet breaks]

    This is deeply concerning and shows not only how our amazing midwives go above and beyond every single day but also how they are being let down by a Government that has simply failed to deal with the chronic workforce shortages in the NHS.

    We are short of 2,500 midwives in the NHS in England which, against an overall staffing shortfall of over 100,000, is forcing staff to do more and more and putting them under ever increasing strain.

    The Government needs to come up with a credible staffing plan otherwise we risk losing many of these dedicated people to burnout.

  • Thangam Debbonaire – 2020 Comments on Homelessness Statistics

    Thangam Debbonaire – 2020 Comments on Homelessness Statistics

    The comments made by Thangam Debbonaire, the Shadow Housing Secretary, on 20 August 2020.

    These figures highlight the urgent need to extend the evictions ban, to avoid thousands more people being made homeless in the run up to winter.

    Before Covid, we already had devastatingly high numbers in temporary accommodation as a direct result of 10 years of Conservative government, whose policies have pushed people into poverty.

    The Government have known for months that an evictions crisis is looming. Not for the first time, it has been too slow to take action and we’re now facing a potential disaster if the ban is lifted with no plan for what comes next.

  • Kate Green – 2020 Comments on Students Receiving GCSE Results

    Kate Green – 2020 Comments on Students Receiving GCSE Results

    The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, on 20 August 2020.

    Today marks the culmination of years of hard work by young people across the country. I congratulate them on everything that they have achieved, and wish them the best as they move on to the next stage of their education or training.

    But the reality is that many of these young people will have faced huge stress in recent days, as the government’s incompetent and chaotic handling of the results fiasco left them concerned about their futures.

    This incompetence must come to an end. The government must urgently ensure that every young person, including those studying BTECs, get the grades they deserve quickly and do not lose out on any further stage of their education because of this government’s incompetence.

  • Kate Green – 2020 Comments on Gavin Williamson and the Exams Algorithm

    Kate Green – 2020 Comments on Gavin Williamson and the Exams Algorithm

    The comments made by Kate Green, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, on 20 August 2020.

    Gavin Williamson was warned again and again about the problems with the grading algorithm, and each time, he did nothing.

    This endless pattern of incompetence is no way to run a country. His failure to listen to warnings and to act on them risked thousands of young people being robbed of their futures.

    It is time for full transparency. The Department for Education must now publish all correspondence to and from the Secretary of State in which concerns about this algorithm were discussed, as a matter of urgency.

    Young people deserve to know how they came to be let down so badly.

  • George Eustice – 2020 Comments on the Environment Bill

    George Eustice – 2020 Comments on the Environment Bill

    The comments made by George Eustice, the Secretary of State for Environment, on 19 August 2020.

    The targets we set under our landmark Environment Bill will be the driving force behind our bold action to protect and enhance our natural world – guaranteeing real and lasting progress on some of the biggest environmental issues facing us today.

    I hope these targets will provide some much-needed certainty to businesses and society, as we work together to build back better and greener.

  • Kevin Foster – 2020 Comments on the Latin American Disabled People’s Project

    Kevin Foster – 2020 Comments on the Latin American Disabled People’s Project

    The comments made by Kevin Foster, the Minister for Future Borders and Immigration, on 19 August 2020.

    The Latin American Disabled People’s Project has been doing such vital work helping vulnerable EU citizens apply to the EU Settlement Scheme, providing support right through the pandemic.

    EU citizens are an integral part of UK society which is why I’m pleased there have been more than 3.5 million grants of status already securing people’s rights in UK law.

  • Robert Buckland – 2020 Comments on Pausing the Prisoner Early Release Programme

    Robert Buckland – 2020 Comments on Pausing the Prisoner Early Release Programme

    The comments made by Robert Buckland, the Secretary of State for Justice, on 19 August 2020.

    This has been an unprecedented situation but thanks to the hard work and dedication of our staff we have stopped coronavirus taking hold in prisons, which means we can now pause the early release scheme.

    We continue to keep this decision under review, but independent public health experts have judged our approach effective and we continue to do all we can to help the NHS and prevent our staff and prisoners from being at risk.

  • Jim McMahon – 2020 Comments on Rail Price Rises

    Jim McMahon – 2020 Comments on Rail Price Rises

    Comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Transport Secretary, on 19 August 2020.

    Decisions taken by Government Ministers are making rail travel unaffordable and discouraging people back on to the network which will be vital for getting the rail sector on a stable footing.

    The truth is that our fragmented, privatised railway drives up costs and leaves passengers paying more for less.

    Labour has long argued that public ownership of the rail network will provide better value for the taxpayer and for passengers, the Government must stop paying the profit of the private rail companies and bring the network in-house.

  • Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2020 Comments on Death of 16-Year Old in the English Channel

    Nick Thomas-Symonds – 2020 Comments on Death of 16-Year Old in the English Channel

    Comments made by Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Shadow Home Secretary, on 19 August 2020.

    The news of the death of a 16-year-old boy in the Channel is heartbreaking and our thoughts are with his loved ones.

    The Government’s response to the situation in the Channel has been lacking in compassion and competence.

    Ministers urgently need to step up work with international partners to find a humanitarian solution to this crisis, which is costing lives.

  • Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on NHS Detox Beds

    Jonathan Ashworth – 2020 Comments on NHS Detox Beds

    The comments made by Jonathan Ashworth, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 19 August 2020.

    I’ve long warned that after years of public health cuts we are facing an addiction crisis, and closing our remaining detox beds will mean more people lose their lives to alcohol abuse and drug misuse.

    It’s especially concerning that these warnings come as the Secretary of State embarks on a risky and irresponsible dismantling of Public Health England, with no idea who will lead on addiction nationally.

    As covid-19 has cruelly reminded us, improving population health is integral to health security and that must mean properly investing in public health services, not cutting them.